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t. e. A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder ), law enforcement, self-defense, warfare, or suicide.
Learn about different types of weapons, from artillery and explosives to firearms and nuclear weapons, with definitions and examples. Browse the alphabetical list of weapons and find out their history, features, and uses.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn about the different types and uses of weapons in combat, from shock weapons to missile weapons, conventional to nonconventional, and defensive to offensive. Explore the history and examples of weapons of war, such as the Browning automatic rifle.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
May 5, 2024 · Learn about nuclear weapons, devices that release energy by nuclear fission or fusion. Explore their history, types, effects, and role in the Cold War and arms control.
- What is a nuclear weapon?A nuclear weapon is a device designed to release energy in an explosive manner as a result of nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, or a combination of...
- Are there treaties to control the proliferation of nuclear weapons?Concerns about the devastating effects of nuclear weapons have driven governments to negotiate arms control agreements. Some of the earliest ones i...
- When was a nuclear weapon first tested?The first test of a nuclear weapon occurred in the United States on July 16, 1945, at the Alamogordo Bombing Range in south-central New Mexico. The...
- Which country had the most nuclear weapons?The Soviet Union had the most nuclear weapons during the Cold War. The Soviet stockpile reached a peak of about 33,000 operational warheads in 1988...
A firearm is a barreled ranged weapon that inflicts damage on targets by launching one or more projectiles driven by rapidly expanding high-pressure gas produced by exothermic combustion ( deflagration) of a chemical propellant, historically black powder, now smokeless powder. [1] [2] [3]
Jul 7, 2009 · Timeline: Weapons technology. By Michael Marshall. 7 July 2009. Ale Flamy/Getty. Throughout history, societies have put their best minds to work creating new weapons. Explore the history of war...
People have used weapons in warfare, hunting, self-defense, law enforcement, and criminal activity. Weapons also serve many other purposes in society including use in sports, collections for display, and historical displays and demonstrations. As technology has developed throughout history, weapons have changed with it.
